Structural steel detailing is the process of providing detailed drawings for steel fabricators and erectors to use in the manufacturing and construction of commercial and residential structures, institutes, ships, factories, and many others. It has evolved as a critical need requiring great precision because even a minor error may lead to a significant loss of time and money.
Steel detailing also serves as an essential communication medium that connects engineers and architects with contractors, fabricators, and many others involved in the project. The absence of the same may lead to many misconceptions and misunderstandings between the people in charge of the project execution at different levels.
Types of steel detailing drawings:
Erection drawings:
Erection drawings detail the dimensions of the plan and specify the geographical placement of each element involved in the structure. These drawings are of crucial importance as they depict the details of the position of each component, their installation requirements, and the fieldwork required for the same.
Shop drawings:
Shop drawings are a more detailed version that depicts every minuscule detail of the elements involved in the structure, like joints, beams, braces, and columns, to name a few. It includes every component’s dimensions and sizes along with details of welding, bolting, specification of materials, and other required details. It serves as an instruction manual to the steel fabricators and guides them in making the components.
Importance of steel detailing services:
Enhanced design:
Every little detail of the structure is taken into account in the steel detailing drawings. This gives way to several levels of iterations which helps achieve an optimal design that satisfies the expectations of various aspects, needs, limitations, and demands of the structure.
Cost efficiency:
Unlike two-dimensional hand drawings that require the involvement of many experts, the latest steel detailing software allows the creation of better, accurate, and advanced designs that can be managed with the engagement of a few experts. This helps in drastically reducing the cost of the project.
Better problem-solving:
Steel detailing drawings allow visualisation of the various probabilities that are possible while arriving at the optimal design. The design can be immediately modified if a challenge is faced, considering the available alternatives. The same can’t be accommodated in real-time as it may lead to loss of time and money.
Advanced estimation:
The steel detailing drawings involve all the information required for the project execution. Therefore, the estimation of the raw materials, components, time, labour, and cost can be predicted in advance. This equips the stakeholders with a clear understanding of the project requirements ahead of time.
Seamless collaboration:
It helps better collaboration between the different team members involved in the project and ensures they are on the same page. This is achieved by providing them access to a single platform that facilitates consistent updation of progress and receives timely feedback on the various details required for the project advancement.
Eradication of errors:
Having to encounter errors during the execution of the project can end up being a costly mistake involving significant wastage of resources, extension of timelines, and revision of the design, to name a few. The steel detailing drawings ensure error-free outputs that help avoid such undesirable circumstances.
Accurate visualisation:
Steel drawings serve as a prototype of the design to be created in real-time, hence serving as a visual representation of the design. This helps clients understand the project’s exact outcome and proceed with the execution with absolute confidence.
Numerous construction, manufacturing, and fabrication projects require the expertise of structural steel detailers. At PROZTEEL, with in-depth expertise, extensive experience, and predominant usage of advanced tools and equipment, we have handled the steel detailing process efficiently with significantly reduced production costs and time. Reach out to us for all your steel detailing needs. We will surpass your expectations.